Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
The Russian minister arrived in Ankara on February 23, and had already met with Fidan a few days before the visit, discussing with him, among other things, the results of consultations between the Russian Federation and the United States, the negotiation process on Ukraine and Syria, against the backdrop of the Turkish side’s readiness to host a summit on the Ukrainian settlement with the participation of the United States, Russia and Ukraine, RIA Novosti reports.
In addition, the visit is taking place against the backdrop of Moscow’s desire to establish contacts with the new authorities in Damascus, while Turkey has closer ties with the Syrian side since Bashar al-Assad left.
Turkish media report that the meetings will primarily discuss two issues – Syria and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
An informed source of the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, recalling the fact of the reception of the conflicting Russian and Ukrainian parties in Istanbul in March 2022, noted that this time Ankara will also try to take on a similar role as a mediator between the parties. The Turkish side also intends to offer its contribution to the process that has begun between the United States and Russia.